Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, August 24, 2021 / TRAVELINDEX / Jointly organised by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the sixth Belt and Road Summit will be held online on 1-2 September (Wednesday and Thursday) with the theme “Driving Growth through Fostering Regional and International Trade”. The summit will explore how the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) can be leveraged together with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) development and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) to forge multilateral collaboration and drive post-pandemic economic recovery as well as investment and business cooperation in various sectors.
This year’s summit will be held virtually, connecting global participants across different geographic boundaries and time zones. It will comprise a range of sessions and events, including the Opening Session, Policy Dialogue session, two Business Plenaries, a panel discussion and thematic breakout sessions, investment project pitching sessions as well as an exhibition and one-to-one business matching meetings. The event will bring together more than 80 government officials and business elites from Belt and Road countries and regions, as well as project owners, investors and services providers from all over the world, to explore BRI opportunities. In addition to benefiting from the inspiring sharing by renowned speakers, participants will also be able to learn about the current investment climate and opportunities in different regions and sectors, and build contacts with business potential counterparts on the spot.
Comprehensive analysis of policy trends and investment opportunities
The BRI facilitates global investment and trade, providing potential investment opportunities for investors and collaboration opportunities for different professional services sectors. HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam and HKTDC Chairman Dr Peter K N Lam will host the opening session, where a keynote address will be delivered by Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum. At the Policy Dialogue session (on 1 September morning), chaired by HKSAR Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau, officials from Belt and Road countries and regions will analyse the latest economic policy trends. Panelists include Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew Bin Abdullah, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II, Brunei; HE Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, United Arab Emirates; HE Dato Lim Jock Hoi, Secretary-General of the ASEAN Secretariat; HE Pan Sorasak, Minister of Commerce, Cambodia; Muhammad Lutfi, Minister of Trade, Indonesia; Ramon Lopez, Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry, the Philippines; Tan See Leng, Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Trade and Industry, Singapore; and Sansern Samalapa, Vice Minister for Commerce, Thailand.
HKSAR Financial Secretary Paul Chan will address the day’s Business Plenary Session, themed “Belt and Road and RCEP: Enhancing Regional Business Connectivity”, which will also feature business leaders from Hong Kong, Mainland China and RCEP markets. Speakers include Victor Chu, Chairman and CEO, First Eastern Investment Group; Sean Chiao, Global Business Line Chief Executive, Buildings and Places, AECOM; Huang Zhaohui, CEO and Chairman of Management Committee, China International Capital Corporation Limited; Suroj Lamsam, CEO and President of Loxley Public Company Limited in Thailand; Michael Tan, President and Chief Operating Officer of LT Group in the Philippines; and Wang Cuijun, Director, China Merchants Group Limited. The session will examine how the RCEP will inject new impetus into the region and how Belt and Road countries and regions can strengthen connectivity to seize the new opportunities.
Exploring Greater Bay Area opportunities
This year’s summit features the new Greater Bay Area series focusing on opportunities in the region. It includes a Business Plenary, a panel discussion, thematic breakout sessions and an exhibition. The Business Plenary (on 2 September), titled “Connecting the Belt and Road & Greater Bay Area through Hong Kong”, will be chaired by Victor Fung, Chairman of the Fung Group, and feature Dato’ Seri Cheah Cheng Hye, Co-Chairman and Co-Chief Investment Officer of Value Partners Group; Jack So, Chairman of Airport Authority Hong Kong; Sun Yu, Vice Chairman, Executive Director and Chief Executive of Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited; and Wang Shi, Chairman of Shenzhen Foundation for International Exchange and Cooperation and Founder and Honorary Chairman of Vanke Co., Ltd. The panel will share their insights on how Hong Kong should leverage its advantages to connect the Belt and Road and the GBA and seize relevant opportunities under the new era of cross-boundary collaboration. A panel discussion and thematic breakout sessions will cover topics such as fundraising, financing, green finance, digital technology and start-ups.
BRI opportunities for various professional services, including legal and dispute resolution, captive insurance and reinsurance, and infrastructure, as well for small and medium-sized enterprises will be discussed at thematic breakout sessions co-organised with various partners including the Department of Justice, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s Infrastructure Financing Facilitation Office, the Hong Kong Insurance Authority, Hong Kong Cyberport, Invest Hong Kong, the China International Contractors Association and the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce. The sessions will also cover international cooperation in infrastructure development, as well as cultural and business collaboration.
Online project pitching and business matching
The summit will once again feature the popular Investment and Business Matching Session, providing a platform for project owners, investors and services providers to connect and explore cooperation opportunities. The session includes one-to-one business matching meetings, to be arranged according to participants’ business and investment needs, and project pitching sessions which focus on four main areas: (1) energy, natural resources and public utilities, (2) innovation and technology, (3) urban development, and (4) transport and logistics infrastructure. The matching sessions are expected to involve more than 100 investment projects.
A larger-scale exhibition will again be held online, featuring more than 60 exhibitors from around the world. Adding to the returning Global Investment Zone and Hong Kong Zone, the new GBA Zone will showcase the latest technology and related investment opportunities in the Greater Bay Area.
Hong Kong-Kazakhstan medical cooperation MOU
During the summit, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) will be signed online to promote cooperation between Hong Kong and Kazakhstan over advanced medical equipment, including the application of medical metal 3D printing technology in orthopaedic oncology and related training. The MOU will be signed by Edmond Yau, Founder and CEO of Hong Kong firm Koln 3D Technology (Medical) Limited, and Shinbolatova Aigul Serikovna, Head of the International Cooperation Department of the Kazakh Institute of Oncology and Radiology (KazIOR).
China International Capital Corporation Ltd serves as the Strategic Partner; Bank of China (Hong Kong) Ltd as the Regional Banking Partner; China Merchants Group as the Sapphire Sponsor; China Taiping Insurance Group as the Affiliated Insurance Partner; and China Mobile International Limited as the Platinum Sponsor of the sixth Belt and Road Summit.